Thursday, June 26, 2014

My mother brought me my birthday present early. She gave a new computer, because Microsoft is forcing me to replace my last computer. I’ve been living with Windows XP for so long, and I really didn’t want to give it up. I felt pains of resentment back when Windows 7 was first released following the arrival of Windows Vista. I think of the Windows platforms as being memory hogs. It frightens me to realize that this new computer that I have uses a two gig processor, but the use of Windows 7 makes it operate just as slow as my previous computer in some ways. If only Windows XP were still supported by Microsoft, I would’ve loved to dropped it onto this machine.

Under such a circumstance, this computer would certainly operate faster, and dazzle me with the power of its processor. I have to admit, though, this application of my Dragon software is working far smoother on this machine that it did on the previous one. I don’t actually have to wait for the computer to print out what I said. Adding it onto this machine, I thought there would be a battle between the Microsoft platform and the processor demands of the Dragon software, but they actually seem to work together nicely.

One of the important aspects of the Dragon software is its ability to keep up with me as I talk. I do have in the billeting to get distracted from time to time, and this software is only useful in its ability for the print to come across as quickly as my thoughts. It is actually very exciting to see this software work as well as it does. Also, with this processing strength, I find the computer is able to understand what I’m saying better. That makes this acquisition a win-win.

It’s a shame that I am addicted to this software, because I really wanted to discover my friends world of Linux. Linux so far does not offer any type of dictation software. That is not to say that dictation software and voice recognition software are unavailable. I mean rather that Dragon NaturallySpeaking is still the most highly functional software for my purposes.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

will I think my life is changed since I discovered cabbage soup. I’m not living as a true vegetarian. My cabbage soup is made with chicken broth, and I will not apologize for it. I made a declaration at the beginning of Lent that I would stop eating meat, and I have. I suppose that while doing my penintentials, I got a little lazy. It’s not like I fried up some bacon and stuck into my soup. This is really a good thing.

I made my declaration to stop eating meat, as I always do, on Ash Wednesday. Unlike many people I never look at this as “giving up” anything. I always believe that my declaration for Lent is one about building, changing. Since Lent began, and for quite a period before, I began eating lots of raw carrots. I refuse to look at it as snacking. I don’t look to the carrots for satisfaction. I suppose I think of it, I guess, as a placeholder.

I found my inspiration in my sister’s dog. Her dog Carson is getting up in years, but my family took to buying it bags o raw carrots, and Carson now consumes raw carrots every day. I do not know what effect for good or ill, this is had on Carson’s health. But I do believe for me eating carrots is a wonderful thing. As for whether or not these are snacks, I believe that I need to look at this a different way. I have listened to people over the years who would pretend that something that they’ve substituted for something else “just as good” as the item being replaced. (“ I’m sure that if you just try one of these sweetened carob soy proteins and fiber bars, you’ll agree that they taste just as good as chocolate cake.”)

I’ve always regarded this is nonsense. Still, when I crave something to eat, I often know that I’m not looking for food because I am hungry. Sometimes I feel bored, sometimes I feel anxious, or perhaps, my brain is seeking out some type of neurotransmitter release, an explosion, that eating something disgustingly unhealthy for me would achieve. In those moments, nibbling on carrots, has become that placeholder. It is probably one of the more positive changes in my life lately.

In the last year have learned how to exercise. I learned how to dance, I learned how to stretch, and started to utilize a manual wheelchair that my mother bought for me not too long ago. Along with the carrots, the cabbage soup, and deliberate reduction in my caffeine intake, my exercise has changed my outlook on my entire life. I’m just feeling really good. In one month from now, Lent will end. No doubt I will want to assess how much, if any, of my old diet habits I would want to retain.

I do not own a scale. Unable to stand without holding onto a support, it seems difficult, if not impossible, to weigh myself accurately at my home. Still, I can feel the oxygen in my skin, the changes in my sleep, and the clarity of my vision. I’m also noticing my clothes are fitting looser than before. This is an exciting time. Also, just as I’ve said before, I am not “on a diet”. These are not some extreme actions aimed at rapidly achieving some desired result. These are life changes that I’ve thought about, and I’m willing to maintain for a lifetime (one day at a time, of course).

About Me

“When two people meet and fall in love, there's a sudden rush of magic. Magic is just naturally present then. We tend to feed on that gratuitous magic without striving to make any more. One day we wake up and find that the magic is gone. We hustle to get it back, but by then it's usually too late, we've used it up. What we have to do is work like hell at making additional magic right from the start. It's hard work, but if we can remember to do it, we greatly improve our chances of making love stay.” Tom Robbins